Tag: mac mini

When I migrated to SSD on my Mac mini, I kept the original 1 TB hard drive to store my old Mac OS data. That was just in the SSD migration failed. After two weeks of non-event, it was time to blow up my 1 TB hard drive. That means deleting the entire drive and using it as a backup drive for storing miscellaneous and less frequently accessed files. I’m not worried about the new SSD failing, because I have Time Machine. I can always restore the entire OS from my Time Machine backup. So, I dumped everything on the 1 TB drive and emptied the Trash Can. I took awhile, but now I have all that real estate for storage.

I bought a Mac Mini a month ago. I love it. The only gripe I have is I wished I had a better monitor. But, that’s not the Mac mini’s fault. Lately, I have been thinking about swapping my Mac Mini with the new, cool, sleek, 21 inch iMac. How is that possible? There’s a holiday promotional right now from October 27 until January 7. Any computers bought within this window can be returned or exchanged. Typically, it’s only a two week return policy.

So, I’m debating whether to swap units. The Mac mini that I bought actually has a faster processor than the low end iMac. The Mac mini has a 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, while the iMac runs on the 2.7Ghz Intel Core i5 processor. As far as upgrades, the Mac Mini is a lot easier to mod. You can add easily more memory, a second hard drive or SSD to the unit without much of a hassle. The iMac is not so easy. Obviously, the best feature of the 2012 iMac is the screen and the skinny form factor. The only downside with my Mac mini setup is, I need a better monitor.

Along with the iPad mini being introduced on October 23rd, Apple also plans to upgrade the Mac Mini with USB 3.0 ports. Will there be processor and storage upgrades for the Mac Mini? There is no telling at the moment. I guess, we just have to wait until the October 23 announcement. Regardless, the USB 3.0 upgrade is good news for prospective Mac Mini buyers, like me.